Get Up and Try
by MeWantTitleMatch
Summary: In the wake of his recent divorce, Randy Orton learns that sometimes you just have to get up and try again. Randy Orton/OC.


_**My first post from my new college laptop! Anyways, this was written for RockyCodyAJWadeWifey21. I hope you like it :)**_

**Get Up and Try**

"Alright, that's it for this room." Randy Orton sighed as he sealed up a box with packaging tape. He scrawled 'Samantha' across the side in black sharpie and then added the address to her, once theirs, St. Charles address.

Pushing the box against the wall with the others, Randy surveyed the room. This had been Sam's favorite sitting room in their, now his, St. Louis home. She'd spent many hours on the chaise lounge in the corner, reading her favorite books and magazines, curled under one of her quilts. It was also where she'd wait for him to come home from the tours. He could almost smell her, the ghosting fragrance bringing back the pain of the divorce. Deciding it was better to move on to a different room, he turned and almost ran into his friend.

"Rand, we're out of packing tape." John Cena said with slight amusement. Ever since he and Sam had decided who was keeping which house, John had bugging him to clean out her things and send them to her. According to him, it would be the transition to his new single life. After all, he would eventually have to get up and try again and keeping an "odd shrine-like homage" to his first wife wasn't going to help his chances. "Trust me. I've been down this road." He'd said many times.

"There's some on the coffee table." Randy gestured toward the roll he'd was just using, unaware that it too was almost empty.

"Uh-huh." John picked up the roll and put the final small piece on one of the boxes against the wall. "There, now we're out of packing tape. Could you go get some more? We're making good progress and I'd really like to get started on the upstairs."

Randy sighed, running his hand over his short hair. "Why don't you go get it?"

John pointed at the bulky silver stabilizer on his knee. He'd had minor knee surgery and needed to be taken off the tour. Since Randy had already been written out of the show for a couple of weeks so he could take some personal time, he'd figured he could kill two birds with one stone; visit his best friend and help him clean out his house.

"I can't drive, remember? The pain meds that are allowing me to walk right now make me drowsy. In fact, the only reason I'm not knocked out on your couch is that I'm moving around packing stuff up." John leveled a look up at Randy.

"Fine, I'll go." Randy conceded, heading toward the front door.

John followed him. "Get some bubble wrap too. Don't want her jewelry to break. Oh, and some Jack Daniels! We can drink and watch terrible movies just like old times."

Randy grabbed his keys and left the house and his friend's incessant babbling.

Having acquired all of his items, Randy stood in the checkout line. He'd taken a few pictures and signed some autographs while he was in the store. He'd even answered a question or two about his divorce. As he waited, noticed the woman in front of him having a bit of trouble.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but your card has been declined." The cashier said, handing the card back to the woman.

"What? It can't be; I just put money on it yesterday." The woman looked dumbfounded.

The cashier turned the machine toward the woman and she slid the card through again. "It says unauthorized user."

The woman put her hand over her eyes. "That jerk…I can't believe this."

Randy observed the scene quietly. He noted some of the items on the conveyor belt, several of them indicating that this woman probably had children. Without thinking about it, he gave the cashier his card. "I'll pay for it. Just ring it up with my stuff."

"Thank you much, err…" The woman started after retrieving her bags from the end of the checkout counter.

"Randy." Randy smiled, extending his free hand.

She took it, offering a shy smile in return. "Carrie."

Carrie was a rather short woman; a little more than a foot shorter than himself. She had long black hair that fell in silky waves down her back. Partially hidden by her hair was a pair of lovely hazel eyes which complimented her light brown complexion. She was gorgeous.

Randy thought about the many times John had encouraged him to ask someone out. Sure he'd come across some very pretty women, some far prettier than Sam, but in his mind he always compared them to her and that kept him from ever making a move. But as he found himself staring into those beautiful hazel eyes, cast down in shyness, he found himself ignoring the thoughts of her that popped up for the first time.

"Forgive me if this is too bold, Carrie, but would like to grab coffee or lunch with me sometime?" Randy said, surprised at how smooth it came out. Guess he still had some game.

Carrie glanced up at him, then her gaze seemed to follow some unseen object. A small blush crept across her face as she answered quietly. "U-um, sure. How is W-Wednesday?"

"Wednesday?" Randy smirked. "It's a date."

* * *

"Lunch, check. Towels, check. Water bottles, check. Sand toys…now where did I put those things?" Carrie muttered as she wandered from her kitchen to the hall closet. She rummaged through a few boxes until she dug out her daughters' sand pails and shovels. She added them to the basket that was waiting by the front door.

"Mommy, is it time to go to the beach yet?" Brooke, her five year old, asked as she came into the hallway from her bedroom. She was already clad in her Little Mermaid bathing suit, her hair pulled into a braid. Beside her, dressed in a frilly pink swimsuit, was her three year old sister Kelsey. As usual, the toddler had managed to dislodge one of her ponytails.

"Not yet." Carrie answered as she started to fix Kelsey's hair. "We have to wait for Randy and Alanna to get here. Oh, I think that's them!" Carrie chimed as there was a knock at the door.

She smoothed out her purple cover-up dress and straightened her hair before she opened the door. "About time you got…Brian?" Her eyes widened as she stood face to face with her ex-husband Brian.

"We need to talk." He said, his voice gruff. His steely gaze was still nerve wracking even after this time apart.

"Daddy!" The little girls exclaimed.

"Brooke, Kelsey, go back in your room." Carrie's voice faltered, but her daughters obeyed. "What do you want, Brian?"

"You still dating that Randy guy?"

"That's none of your concern."

"It is when you have this former drug addict coming around my daughters." Brian crossed his arms.

Carrie glared at him. "Oh, like it's any different from Kandi the prostitute living in your house? Besides, that's in his past. He's clean now. And he's a wonderful father, unlike you!"

"What did you say to me?" Brian growled, grabbing Carrie's wrist. It hurt but she maintained her defiant glare.

"Get your hands off my girlfriend." A familiar voice said. Carrie and Brian turned to see Randy walking towards them from his car. Six year old Alanna, a plaid sundress covering her bathing suit and toting a little back pack, trotted beside him. Brian let go of Carrie with a sneer.

"Hi Alanna, Brooke and Kelsey are in their room. Why do you go play with them?" Carrie managed to sound sweet as she rubbed her sore wrist. Alanna went through the front door and disappeared into the girls' room.

"Do we have a problem here?" Randy asked, leveling his intense gaze on Brian once his daughter was out of earshot.

"As a matter of fact, we do. I don't want you hanging around the mother of my children." Brian bowed up.

"Last I checked, Carrie was an adult, capable of making her own decisions about who she dates. And if she wants to date me, you have no say." Randy's gaze remained unwavering.

"I'll show you who has no say!" Brian went to swing, but Randy caught his arm and put it in a very uncomfortable position.

"I wouldn't struggle too much. I can break your arm from this position." Randy put a little more pressure in his hold. "Now you're going to get back in your piece of shit truck and you're going to leave Carrie alone. Got that?"

Brian nodded.

"Good." Randy wrenched back one more time before letting the man go. He cradled his arm and glared at Randy before stumbling back to his truck and leaving.

Randy and Carrie just stared at each other for a few moments, before she broke the silence. "Well I guess I better go get the girls."

"This is perfect." Carrie sighed as she snuggled into Randy's side on the beach blanket. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her even closer as they watched their daughters splash in the surf not too far from them.

Randy looked down at his girlfriend of a year. He never knew he could love someone this much after Sam. He didn't think there could even be life after Sam, but Carrie had come into his life by means of a douchebag ex-husband. She'd become his world. Alanna adored her; she saw Carrie as another mother and thought of Brooke and Kelsey as her little sisters. Randy leaned in for a kiss and felt all the amazing heat and energy that had come with their very first kiss. He knew the time was right.

"Alanna, would you come here a moment?" Randy called. His little girl came over to him. "It's time for Carrie's surprise."

Alanna's face broke out in a huge grin and she went over to her backpack and pulled out a small box, holding it open in her hands. Inside was gold ring with a huge diamond set in the center. "Will you marry my daddy?"

Carrie's gaze flitted from the ring in Alanna's hands to Randy's smiling face as she felt tears welling up from both happiness and just how cute the proposal had been.

"Well Carrie, will you marry me?" Randy pressed.

Carrie simply nodded yes as he slipped the ring on her finger.


End file.
